- 8 cups (2 quart-size boxes) chicken broth (Pia doesn’t typically mandate organic for her patients but in this case she prefers it for maximum antioxidants and, depending on what you read, free range organic may have more.)
- 1 medium onion, chopped big so that if your child doesn’t like onions it is easy to scoop around them
- 4 carrots, peeled and chopped
- 4 ribs of celery, including the leaves, chopped
- 1/2 package (8 ounces) of Acini di Pepe (pasta resembling couscous; see note)
- 2 tablespoons fresh parsley, coarsely chopped (I used about ½ cup…we like our greens)
- Salt and pepper to taste (I did not use any additional salt and used about ¼ teaspoon pepper)
- 1 rotisserie chicken, picked of all its meat and torn into bite-size pieces
STAT Chicken Noodle Soup
STAT is not an acronym despite typically being written in all caps. It is short for statem, which is Latin for immediately, and harkens back to the days when medical school was taught partially in Latin.
Pia recommends a supermarket rotisserie chicken because it has good flavor and just the right amount of fat. If you are making it for a child, pay attention to the shape of vegetables, cutting them into “wheels” or “rainbows” so they are more inclined to eat them. I like to have extra broth on hand to add to any leftovers, as the pasta will continue to absorb the broth as it sits in your refrigerator overnight.
Ingredients
Instructions
- Mix the stock, onion, carrots and celery together in a big soup pot. (If desired, you may sauté the veggies in a tablespoon of olive oil before adding the stock.) Bring to a boil. Add the pasta. Gently boil for about 8 minutes. Reduce heat to low, and add the chicken and parsley. Keep on low heat a few minutes longer or until the carrots and celery are crisp-tender and the pasta is al dente. Add salt and pepper, to taste.
- Serve with saltine crackers and a lot of love.
Notes
- Acini di Pepe can be found in the pasta aisle. However, another small pasta of your choice may certainly be used instead.